The National Clean Plant Network: Improving status and availability of clean stock.
Kristen Farrar: Foundation Plant Services
<div>The National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) is an association of clean plant centers, scientists, educators, state and federal regulators, large and small nurseries, and growers of specialty crops that work to ensure that plant propagation material is clean and available. It was established in 2008 and is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The NCPN clean plant centers and programs produce and distribute asexually propagated plant material free of targeted graft transmissible plant pathogens. Currently there are 30 centers or programs in 24 states and five crop networks that focus on fruit trees, grapes, citrus, hops, berries, roses and sweetpotatoes. The primary focus is on diagnostics, pathogen elimination therapies, establishing and maintaining Foundation collections, and importation and distribution. Activities also include studies of economic benefits of clean stock and education and outreach for stakeholders. The economic benefit of starting a planting with clean stock are large. In grapevines, the benefits of starting with clean grapevine planting stock have been documented in the Northcoast region of California exceeds $50 million per year. In fruit trees the economic benefit of one clean plant center in Prosser, WA to nurseries, producers, and consumers based on projected yield loss and quality decline was determined to be approximately $227 million annually.</div>
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